Six-Years Ago (31-January-2013) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2013 Chasing the Northern Lights. Day 3: Bergen then Embarkation on the MS Nordkapp for the Hurtigruten Northbound Norwegian Coastal Voyage.

I rode the Fløibanen Funicular a cable driven train that provides a ride to the top of Mount Fløyen. During the winter season, the ride is free with the Bergen card. I missed the first ride at 07:30, but was able to catch the 2nd ride at 08:00. This got me to the top of the mountain before sunrise. Even though the ticket office wasn’t open (needed to get the ticket) the Funicular operator let me in and got me the front seat. While waiting for the train about 20-30 pre-school/kindergarten age children were dropped off by their parents to ride to the top of the mountain. The kids were all wearing heavy winter coats and had backpacks. When the kids and their 3 adult guides got to the top they stopped to sing a song, and then went for a hike. It was cold at the top of the mountain, and I put on another layer before taking a panorama of Bergen at dawn. On the right side you can see the unique pink color (Belt of Venus) and the earth shadow blue underneath. The kids seemed to have disappeared into the woods. You could hear them yelling and having fun — It surprised me that they were running around in the still dark woods.

Dawn panoramic view of Bergen from Mount Fløyen. Composite of nine images taken with a Leica X2 camera (ISO 400, 24 mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and the composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre) — Dawn panorama view of Bergen from Mount Fløyen. Composite of nine images taken with a Leica X2 camera (ISO 400, 24 mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and the composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)

alt_title. (David J Mathre) — No Fly Zone on Mount Fløyen. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10-110 mm lens. (David J Mathre)

One thing I noticed during this visit to Bergen were a number of folks sitting out at corners with cups begging for change. They did not look local, and the locals did not appear to be giving out any change. I checked out of the hotel and continued to walk around Bergen. I found the Japanese Photography shop where I went to look for some lens cleaner. They didn’t have any in stock – but went to the backroom and gave me an opened bottle for free.

Later in the afternoon, I went back to the top of Fløyen mountain to watch for the arrival of the Hurtigruten MS Nordkapp. I wondered how many of the folks watching the MS Nordkapp arrive would be riding on the Northbound voyage that evening. There were also a number runners doing a race up the mountain that afternoon. I think some were making it up the mountain faster than the Funicular (which does have several stops).

While wandering around on top of the mountain, I did find where all of the kids went running earlier that morning. There is a path going through the woods that has a number of large wooden trolls. Ultimately, the trail ends at a day school. By the time I got back to the top of the Funicular there was a long line of kids, runners, and tourists waiting to take the trip down. I was glad that they doubled the frequency of runs to handle the rush.

Twelve-Years Ago (31-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 11: Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald Norwegian Coastal Voyage Southbound (Tromsø to Stamsund).

On the third day of the southbound Hurtigruten voyage, the ship departed Tromsø (01:30) and made seven stops: Finnsnes (04:15-04:45); Harstad (07:45-08:30); Risøyhamm (10:45-11:00); Sortland (12:30-13:00); Stokmarkenes (14:15-15:15); Svolvær (18:30-20:30); and Stamsund (22:00-22:30).

We got off the ship in Harstad and took a bus tour stopping at the Trondenes Church (northernmost medieval stone church in Norway) and the Trondenes Museum & Historical center. We then drove to Sortland where we rejoined the ship after passing over it while we crossed the Sortland bridge.

Painting at the Trondenes Museum & Historical center in Harstad. Composite of two images taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/1.4, 1/100 sec) (David J Mathre)

Individual images in this slide-show can be viewed here.

Svolvær Church at night. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 35 mm f/2 lens (ISO 400, 35 mm, f/2, 1/15 sec) (David J Mathre)

Trollfjord docked in Svolvær. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 12-24 mm f/4 lens (ISO 200, 12 mm, f/4, 1/45 sec) (David J Mathre)

Six-Years Ago (30-January-2013) — Denmark to Norway

Gone to See Norway 2013. Chasing the Northern Lights. Day 2: Copenhagen to Bergen.

I arrived in Copenhagen at 07:00, earlier than expected due to the favorable tail winds. It was still dark and raining. I have to get used to the sun rising later as we get further north. There was a long line waiting to go through passport control. It didn’t matter since my connecting flight to Bergen wouldn’t leave until 11:45. I was glad that my luggage was checked all the way to Bergen. I was probably early enough to catch the 08:30 flight to Bergen if it wasn’t for the size of the Copenhagen airport. It is more a shopping center than an airport terminal. I exchanged some currency and then found a quiet area in the airport with free Wi-Fi and comfortable seats to sleep. A bottle of Coke at the airport cost 22.5 DK.

The SAS flight from Copenhagen to Bergen was on a MD-82 jet. The plane was only 1/3 full, so no problem finding space for my camera bag. Heavy rain when we landed in Bergen. Passport control in Bergen was closed, so only needed to pass through customs. It appeared that they were only checking Norwegians for excess duty items. One interesting thing is that you can use coins from a variety of countries for the luggage carts. There is a chart showing the size and value of coins that will work. With my heavy bag, I opted to take a taxi from the airport to my hotel in Bergen (376 NOK). The Thon hotel had a room when I arrived. Unlike earlier visits to Norway, the hotel did not ask to see a passport. Had a late lunch (or early dinner) – cheeseburger, fries, and a beer at the attached Egon restaurant (242 NOK). I can see that Norway is going to be expensive. I slept a few hours then walked the four blocks to the Tourist Information center to buy a one day Bergen Pass. It was still raining hard, and I was cold and soaking wet by the time I got back to the hotel. The weather forecast for the next day in Bergen was partly cloudy and above freezing. After a long day of travel, I fell asleep.

Leaving Copenhagen. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 and 10 mm f/2.8 lens with Olympus FCON-T01 adapter (ISO 20, 7.5 mm, f/3.5, 1/400 sec). (David J. Mathre)

GPS Track: Copenhagen to Bergen (462 miles) (David J Mathre)

GPS Track: Bergen Airport to Thon Bristol Hotel in Bergen (11 miles) (David J Mathre)

Twelve-Years Ago (30-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 10: Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald Norwegian Coastal Voyage Southbound (Mehamn to Tromsø).

On the second day of the southbound Hurtigruten voyage, the ship stopped in eight ports: Mehamn (01:00-01:15); Kjøllefjord (03:15-03:30); Honningsvåg (06:00-06:15); Havøsund (08:15-08:30); Hammerfest (11:15-12:45); Øksfjord (15:30-15:45); Skjervøy (19:00-19:45); and Tromsø (23:45-01:30).

At about 01:00 the captain made an announcement that Northern Lights were visible. I put some warm clothes on and went out. It was cold (minus 10 degrees) and windy. But the northern lights were brighter than I ever remember seeing before when growing up in Minnesota. It was hard to stand still for 10 seconds on a moving ship in the cold and heavy wind to take a selfie. I did hear that some of the folks that got off in Kirkenes also saw the Northern Lights that night (but didn’t wake the others up…). It was because of the view that night that I decided to go back to Norway in the middle of the winter in 2013 — and saw even more impressive displays in Tromsø.

Northern Lights Self Portrait. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 10.5 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 400, 10.5 mm, f/2.8, 10 sec). (David J Mathre)

Happy Birthday Dad — From Norway.

Two days earlier the family got together to have a birthday celebration for my father before the majority of the group disembarked the Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald in Kirkenes.

Three-Years Ago (29-January-2016) — Pacific Ocean

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 24: At Sea Along the Southeast Coast of Japan on the way to China.

Rain and mist. The sun rose and set behind clouds. I spent the day indoors attending classes including a Life-Long Learner (LLL) seminar where I took candid portraits of the LLL’s with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens.